Premier promises tougher rules for private nursing agencies – Winnipeg Free Press

BRANDON – Premier Wab Kinew has pledged to tighten standards for private nursing agencies and continue to improve working conditions for nurses who provide care in the public system.

The premier spoke to an audience of 500 at a Brandon Chamber of Commerce luncheon on Thursday. He opened his speech by commenting on the reopening of the emergency department at Carberry Health Centre, before moving on to discuss how his government can improve conditions for health workers, particularly nurses.

“Nurses have been very vocal on the front lines about some of their grievances,” Kineu said, dealing with mandatory overtime, inflexible schedules, nurse-to-patient ratios, working conditions, workplace violence and the effects of addiction. and mental health crises.

Kinew acknowledged that many nurses have moved from the public system to private agencies to find a work/life balance.

That means Manitoba will pay much more to staff at health facilities with private nurses: $56 million in the first three quarters of the 2023-24 fiscal year.

While Manitoba has 75 nursing agencies, British Columbia, which has four times the population, has just 19, the premier said.

He said his government has heard concerns about the agency's nurses — not just about staffing but also about safety. He told an anecdote about an agency nurse who slept in a car between shifts at various facilities.

While he said the government can't enforce any mandates because of the agency's need for nurses, Manitoba should be encouraged to bring them back from the private sector.

“We are sending out requests for proposals for nursing agencies to be approved by the provincial government to work with service delivery organizations in our province,” Kinew said.

“What it's going to do is allow a lot of control and what that means for you as a patient. We can make sure that standards are in place, that health and safety regulations are put in place.”

After her speech, Kinew told reporters that strengthening the standards would help ensure the agency's nurses are properly specialized in the facilities they work in.

Darlene Jackson, president of the Manitoba Nurses Union, expressed her support for Kinnew's announcement.